Box’s or boxes?

Grammar > box’s vs boxes, which is correct?
Published in December 2022
Written by:  Mary S., registered English teacher and confirmed dog lover

This is a common one.

The correct way to write the plural form of box is boxes and not box’s.

But box’s does have a meaning spelt exactly this way.

So both are correct if used appropriately.

Let’s look into it with a bit more detail.

Meaning of boxes

In the English language, some words are frequently misspelled. With practice and time learning, they become easier.

This is one of them.

Let’s first take a look at the meaning of the word. The singular is box.

The dictionary definition of the word “box” is:
a container with a flat base and straight sides, typically square or rectangular in shape and usually having a lid.

When making a plural (multiple) version of a word that ends with the letter “x”, like box, you should always add an “-es”.

So the plural of box is boxes, and not box’s.

Some examples:

Singular: I am holding the red box in my hand.
Plural: I am holding red boxes in my hand.

Singular: Can you give me the green box?
Plural: Can you give me the three green boxes?

Meaning of box’s

Box’s is the incorrect spelling for the multiple/plural form of box.

So “can you give me the two box’s” is wrong.

However, box’s does have a meaning.

By adding an “apostrophe s” (or ‘s) at the end of the word, it is used for possessives.

So in our example, box’s, would mean the box in question “owns” or “possesses”  the next word in the sentence or it somehow related to the next word.

Examples:

The box’s lid is broken so I couldn’t close it.
The box’s contents included my clothing, passport and bathroom essentials.
The box’s postage label is showing your first and last name, address and e-mail.

Examples of boxes in a sentence

Some examples of the plural “boxes” used in a sentence we found online:

• I am moving so I packed my boxes.
• My boxes are all black so they are easy to see.
• These shipping boxes are old and mouldy.
• Only my boxes have a clear postage label on them so I hope and pray they will arrive safely.
• The sizes, colour and shapes of boxes at the company are all standardised for ease of shipping.
• My kitchen has over 20 neatly organised packaging boxes that are all labelled with their exact contents and use by dates.

Note that these are all correct uses for the word.

Examples of box’s in a sentence

Some examples of “box’s” in a sentence we found by doing an online search.

Incorrectly used as plural of box

• Give me the box’s please, I need them.
• I picked up all the box’s yesterday.
• Looking to pick up and recycle all your old packing box’s tomorrow, please have them ready.

These are all incorrect. To make them correct, you would just change each one to “boxes”.

Correctly used as a possessive

• The box’s dimensions are way too large to fit in my van.
• This box’s lid does not fit the box well so I am worried it will not close properly.
• The pizza box’s label doesn’t include your name or address so I couldn’t deliver it to you, sorry.

As above, these are all correctly spelt and written implying ownership or relation to the word coming after it eg. dimensions, lid and label.

Popularity of the search terms online

Searching for the exact term “boxes” yielded nearly a billion results on Google in 2023.

Searching for the exact term “box’s” on the same search engine at the same time received only 5 million results in comparison.

You can see that “boxes” had more results.

It is often said that searching for terms on a search engine and assessing the number of  results (ie the popularity or number of times a particular phrase is written online) is a good clue to finding the right way to write or say something.

However, this is one of those times when it can lead us astray as both of the words above are correct if used in the right context.

Sound it out

We often tell students that reading terms out out loud can be handy to get better with the language and also find the correct form with experience and exposure.

Reading books or news articles daily is undoubtedly very handy to improve.

Specifically for the terms boxes and box’s, both sound similar and can be right depending on context, so the rule is less useful here.

Do you make errors when you write or spell in English?

Or do you have any tips to remember how to remember to write these correctly?

Also let me know if there is any other confusing English grammar words you would like us to cover on Compare it Versus.

Leave your opinions and comments in the section below.

References used in the writing of this article

1. 1. Dictionary.com official web page, accessed in December 2022 in relation to meanings and definitions, link to dictionary home page here
   2. Google search engine for popularity of search terms, search completed in December 2022 and January 2023
   3. How Often Should website, reference on how often things are or should be done, accessed October 2022

Important: We make every effort to ensure the grammar and information on Compare it Versus is accurate and up to date. We pride ourselves that these articles are written by humans (native in English and if possible, with some literary or English teaching background) rather than robots which scrape the net like is commonplace on other sites you will come across.

Occasionally though, we may get it wrong. If you see an error, please let us know below in a comment or by contacting us so we can correct it. No guarantee is provided as to the accuracy of the information provided on this page (box’s or boxes) and so please do your own research.